New York, NY – CIRCUS MIND is a New York-based rock outfit and the brainchild of singer/songwriter and keyboardist Mark Rechler. Fresh off the heels of their recently released Bioluminate EP and their full-length album Joy Machine (2021), CIRCUS MIND busts out a hot and funky voting rights anthem with their new single “VOTE”! Set for release October 7, 2022, the track is equal parts Sly Stone, P-Funk, Staple Singers, and Schoolhouse Rock. Featured guests include Mat Godfrey and Matty Fox (members of The Brandon “Taz” Niederauer Band that Rechler played in for three years), along with Nth Power dynamo Nikki Cassarino and his wife Erin Cassarino adding to the powerful vocals found on the song.
Rechler will use the track to raise money for the voting rights organization HeadCount through a fundraiser that will last for ten days upon the “VOTE” single’s October 7 release. His previous fundraiser raised $10K for The New Orlean Musicians Clinic and he has supported other charities close to his heart.
“I had no intention of writing a song about voting,” said Rechler, “but the muses had different plans. The song literally got written in about two hours, lyrics and music. I stopped a few times to ask myself, ‘Am I writing a voting song right now?’ but I figured I would just let it come out, since the music was so good, and I could always rewrite the lyrics. But it seemed just the right amount of fun, funky, cool, and relevant, that I knew it was gonna work.”
CIRCUS MIND is a camouflaged cephalopod that can change colors, moods, and styles in an instant, swimming from jazzy groove rock to funky reggae roots with ease. The band is about to celebrate its 20th year and recently unveiled their fourth release Bioluminate on June 17, 2022. Bioluminate continues to capture the CIRCUS MIND spirit as they weave through past, present, and funky future.
The first Bioluminate single “Baby Come Back Down” (featuring NoLa guitarist Marc Paradis of Johnny Sketch and The Dirty Notes) has a funky driving Caribbean backbeat mixed with rock and soul vibes and delicious synthesizer work. Opening track and second official single “West End Road” feels like you’re in the gospel tent at Jazzfest while mixin’ in some swampy rock reminiscent of Little Feat, Taj Mahal and The Radiators. Special guest Nels Cline of Wilco shines on the standout track “Miss Fortune” a slower paced beauty, while special guests Matty Fox and Matt Godfrey from the Brandon “Taz” Niederauer Band bring the album full circle on the final track “Vampire Blues.” Longtime bassist Chris Crosby, who passed during the recording of the album, appears on four of the tracks.
Their previous release Joy Machine featured Big Sam, Marc Ribot, Ivan Neville, Walter Wolfman Washington, Scott Metzger, and more. An eclectic collection of ’70s rock and funk with modern takes on N’awlins swamp rock mixed with Beatles pop, the first Joy Machine single “Are You Ready?” featured guest guitar phenom Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, and its music video was well received by critics and fans alike.
Earlier their release “Silver Flower” was voted one of the Best Indie Albums of 2006 by Newsday and put a modern take on influences such as Traffic, Steely Dan, Little Feat, and Mott the Hoople while mixing in NoLa vibe influences like Dr. John, The Meters and The Neville Brothers. The CIRCUS MIND single “Jazzfest Time” was released as an ode to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. CIRCUS MIND has opened for national acts (Toots & The Maytals, The Neville Brothers, The Radiators) and had many notable guests sit in on their recordings and live performances (Soulive, Rebirth Brass Band, Cyril Neville).
CIRCUS MIND’s members are diverse in their influences and playing styles. Lead vocalist, songwriter and keyboardist Mark Rechler performs with multiple projects and has played, toured, and recorded with members of The Meters, The Neville Brothers, The Radiators, Soulive, The Brandon “Taz” Niederauer Band, Rebirth Brass Band, Ivan Neville, and more. Spending five years in New Orleans studying music, art, & architecture helped influence his style and direction, and he always keeps his listeners salivating and wanting more.
Guitarist Jaime Scott has toured the world as a guitarist and engineer, with renowned ensemble John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards. In doing so he followed the lineage of the legendary and influential Lounge Lizard’s guitarists who came before him. “Baby Come Back Down” also features late and long-time CIRCUS MIND bassist Chris Crosby, who had studied with Oteil Burbridge of The Allman Brothers Band and Dead & Co.
The band’s rhythm section features drummer Dan Roth, a driving force of funky world influences and percussionist Steve Finkelstein, who has worked recorded and performed with pop icons from Ray Charles as well as jam band giants including members of the Dead, Allman’s, and Neville’s, and Tower of Power. Steve is also a founding member of the Funk Filharmonik.
New Member Saxophonist Michael Amendola holds a BA in Arranging from The Berklee College of Music. Credits include touring, film scores, jingles, and Broadway shows. Michael was a member of The Tony Trischka Band for 7 years, producing 2 recordings on Rounder Records and as a leader, released the jazz recording "Big Sunflower" on CDC Records. Also joining the party is Leandro Da Silva, a multi-faceted bassist from São Paulo, Brazil who brings elements of Samba and Funk that can be heard in his diverse playing style.
To purchase or stream “VOTE” please visit: https://lnk.to/VOTECircusMind
Watch the official “VOTE” lyric video premiering October 7 on the CIRCUS MIND website: www.circusmindband.com
For Press and Interview inquiries please contact Billy James of Glass Onyon PR: (828) 350-8158 or glassonyonpr@gmail.com
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